Behind the Classroom Door; 2

This is behind the classroom door a series of discussions produced by WFIU Af-Am and the College of Education at Northern Illinois University and distributed by that actual educational radio network. Our topic for this program as the parents impact on student scholastic success here is the moderator Dean Robert Taft top. The topic today is the parents impact on our students scholastic success and by the student we mean the parents own child. And it seems to me that about time about time we directed a little tension a little maybe a little blame to the parent. But surely recognizing the responsibility of the parent for the success of the child in school ever since but it seems to me that teachers in school have received more than their share of the criticism. It hurt our national pride didn't it and really looked for a scapegoat. And the teachers took it from all sides.

And yet I would say that the parents employers in the life of the child is far greater than the combination of teachers the children will have and of course we would say number one of the live child is a mother. And number two should be the father taking you best role in the rearing and education of the youngster. And then number three the accumulation of teachers over a lifetime that a child will experience is now starting at the very beginning. We would start with the inherited factors because it there's no question we would want a child inherit certain level of intellectual ability. I'm sure we never quite reached the top limits of that intellectual ability. And I hear it's other factors from as parents. Of course it may not be appropriate for us to consider and hurted factors at

all in a discussion such as this because there is nothing we can do about them because they are established when at birth. Well at least we can point out to mother that she better not brain blame father for some of the characteristics of the children and the Subversion of them. After all it's a combination that goes way back. But I agree that it is important that a parent does recognize that there is such a thing as and ferreted factors and these are picked up over many generations through our knowledge of genetics. We realize that all children are different even within the same family with the same father and mother and parents must recognize this. They must not expect the same success from each child in the family. That's a common mistake too isn't it when very very often we encounter a first child making a wonderful record of

success in the school. Then a younger child coming along and parents and teachers too having the same expectations of this younger child that they have of the older child. And in some cases the younger child simply does not have the the abilities the capabilities to keep up with a record that was established by his older brother or sister make a terrible situation for the child. Sometimes I think many of the factors we credit to inheritance are really the result of home environment. The early environment of the child. I know many times a factor may be it may be difficult to determine whether a factory is really an inheritance factor or whether it is the environment. You know Dr. Leonard I think you even some of the resemblances between children and parents are the accumulation of mannerisms and the child lives so closely with his parents that pretty soon he vocalizes and the

expression on his face and some of his gestures are just like mothers or dad. And I think that and herons definitely is a factor because in many families where they have two or more children the parent recognizes that the children are raised in a somewhat similar home environment but the children may be quite different in their and their academics except in school as an example. I think most people lead toward the idea of the good environment social experiences and the actual Go experience as a child and those are more significant and what that child becomes then I'm hearing from of course the parents have a lot to do with this structure of the environment. During the early years particularly I think there's been a few things happen in the last few years that. I reckon recognition of these early the importance of the early years in a child's life for example Head Start

is a good example of the importance of the early childhood years and then the last legislature in Illinois passed a law making it compulsory for all schools to maintain kindergartens by 1070. And I think again that recognition of the importance of these early years. You know you hate to say it but perhaps headstart was developed to get the child out of the home. You know we idolize our mothers and we think of motherhood as being the ultimate in the human relationship and yet there are some homes and some mothers and some situations where it's better to get the child out of the home. Some parents become interested for the first time in their child's success in school after the child began school. But really a parent's influence on a child's success in school begins. We might say from the time of birth when a child is very young

children are great imitator. This is evident when they begin walking in the home when they pick up the skills of talking. They imitate their parents in many ways at least for the first child and family the parents are the models. Those who have good models are fortunate. I'd like to illustrate what I mean in regard to success in school with this example. This incident to which I am referring took place in a community where there was no kindergarten. A child entered first grade and encountered all sorts of problems and beginning to read. The teacher tried everything which she knew about teaching him to read with no success at all. A series of home visits to this family showed that the child had grown up in an atmosphere where there was no reading material whatsoever. There were no newspapers no books no magazines. The child that entered first grade

without ever having seen anybody read. And of course no one had ever read to him. He really did not know what reading was. He had no interest and he could not be more of it. Can you imagine his bewilderment at this process of teaching children to read. Then contrast this with the the child who comes from the home where there are numerous books magazines and newspapers where he sees his father and his mother reading in the evening and where they take the time to read to him at bedtime. Naturally wants to learn to read in fact he may become so motivated that he doesn't wait for entrance to school but through questions to his father and mother takes up a bowl of cavalry before he starts school. Dr. Locke long. I have to say all children can do that and we don't want parents to become so ambitious that they want their

child to learn to read before he goes to school. Well I agree with that I don't think any of this should be done with any pressure at all on. But if it comes naturally I'd say well let him go on him. But does such a child that grows up in and in an atmosphere where he does encounter adults reading is very anxious to learn to read and when he gets to school he becomes a very impatient with a teacher who delays as reading. He really is ready. Nowadays I have a feeling that the parent who doesn't supply his child with the opportunity to the VM in front of the TV SAT is seriously handicapping that child in terms of this enrichment of his life so that he can learn along with other children on a competitive basis. Well I agree that parents need to show a personal interest in learning in their home. And they can do this in many ways such as being enthusiastic about

school and about the things that the child is doing at school. They certainly can encourage the child's natural curiosity and they can help make learning interesting and fun for am I at home or many other things they can do. Well the attitude of the parent toward the teacher in the school you know it used to be the dad would say you get a spanking at school and of course I guess they don't spank children anymore but if you get a spanking at school and you'll get one when you come home to right or wrong well there's been a little change in that attitude. I don't know if it's entirely an improvement but I do think that parents need to support the teachers in the school in the eyes of the children. It may be that the parent has real criticisms of the school. I'm sure most of us do because this is kind of a hobby would appear to be critical of those who are teaching children.

I think that parents you're talking about who would whip the child if he did whipping at school certainly wasn't taking into account the child's ability. And I and I think that today many parents have more information and they definitely take into account the differences among their own children. And each child's ability. I even wrote an article once. Dr. Leonard and I don't let's tell parents their children's IQ. I cues of course being a measure of abstract intellectual ability. And then one of my friends. Wrote a companion piece saying let's not tell parents their children vie for you. Well I have feelings about that too. I'm of the opinion myself that they should not be told the I.Q. I guessed as mine yet. Well my wrath my feeling really was to get people to recognize that parent should know as much about their children as is possible for them to know and that IQ is a measure of

verbal or abstract ability. And any parent in order to get good counseling and advice and direction to his child should know what abilities he's had I've seen the opposite big play so often where the parent projected his ambitions to the child when the child wasn't capable of doing it. And that parents should have a realistic understanding I think of the ability of each of his children. And he should have reasonable standards for expectations for the children he he must consider their their their abilities that they to do schoolwork. Oh well I recall a very sad case in my experience where the child who happened to be an adopted child was in a family a well-to-do family the father was a lawyer and he'd gone to a Big Ten university and played football. What was more I was in a sixth grade class and we had ministered to three different intelligence tests.

And these tests indicated that his IQ was about 70. Now 17 is just borderline. This is the lowest level of intellectual ability. And yet the father was punishing the child removing privileges because he wasn't getting good grades. And as a young teacher I would talk to the father about this and I would say look this boy just doesn't have the kind of intellectual ability that you had. And in fact he doesn't have the kind of intellectual ability that will enable him to go to college. I felt that was my responsibility I did qualify it by saying that this was based on the tests we did ministered and we did administer three tests over a period of a couple of years. Well the father didn't exist. And I tell you that the life of this child was almost unbearable. So we can recognize that the parent's attitude toward

these things is particularly significant and I want to say that one of the undergirding elements in a child's success is south kinds that Isabel is feeling about himself and he gets this through his parents attitude toward him with respect affection and good sound discipline. I know another thing I think the parent should refrain from doing and that is nagging the child or pushing him too hard. Many times this can cause the child to dislike the very thing that he's trying to do. Instead they should praise him when he makes progress and they should support him when progress is lacking and try to help them in any way they can wonder about homework. You know here the parent plays a very significant role. Do you have any ideas about homework and the parent's attitude toward homework.

Well you feel about that. Well I think one of the important things a parent can do about homework is to provide good working conditions for study in the home. Many times children have homework and they have a difficult time trying to free themselves from distractions such as television radio and talk in the home. And furthermore the child needs to have a place that is not only quiet but where he has good lighting and the necessary equipment and supplies that he need such as pencils and papers and all the simple things that he needs for homework. You know as often intrigued me this shifts our view a little bit but it's often intrigued me that there exists between the home and the school or the parent and teacher a kind of. Discrimination I don't want to call it a wall but a kind of addition going to nation for either of these parties to talk directly about the child honestly and directly about the child with the with the other one. And I'm sure

that part of it is the sensitivity of the part of these individuals with regard to hurting feelings. The teacher knows that the child is the most precious thing in the life of the parent a parent knows that the teacher's trying desperately to provide the youngster with a good education in the sense of do it somehow or other I think this must be encouraged. Perhaps a parent is the one that has to take the leadership in this regard. Many times I think that the parent can provide many enrichment activities for their children. I know that parents can take their children to places of interest they can have excellent projects going on in the home. I know anyone who has had a son in Boy Scouts or a daughter in Girl Scouts or Campfire Girls recognizes the many excellent educational projects that that peace organizations are carrying on. And of course many parents

help to encourage their children with their hobbies such as collections of collecting stamps rocks and the like and and many of these projects are very educational for these children. When planning and Richmond activities for children parents must keep in mind the and the age level of the child there is a time when a child will profit by visiting a museum or a park. But then there are times when a child will not profit by a very expensive type of activity such as a trip to Europe for a two three or four year old child. Its way beyond those abilities actually spoil the trip for the parents and the child will have a difficult inclination to travel in the future. Dean Cobb we've been directing our remarks toward scholastic success as I would see and mainly towards the elementary school child. I magine that we could carry all of this over into the junior high the

secondary school or even the college. I know that parents become very interested in the work of a primary school child. Then along in the elementary school this interest dwindles junior high school maybe parents do not participate in school affairs at all or in the secondary school perhaps they will attend some basketball games or football games. But I'd like to point out that in higher education too there is a chance for parents to show a great deal of interest. I can recall at the University of Illinois dental school. Each spring there they have an open house for parents and here these young men and women are 23 24 years of age and their parents turn out by the hundreds and take a tour of the dental facilities to see what their grown up children are doing. Beginners began like this you know. It seems as though I have

observed in children changing attitudes toward the parent involvement in school children in kindergarten first grade second grade third grade. I want mother or dad their both to come to school at every opportunity in about fourth grade. There develops a feeling of independence of feeling where they're identifying more with their own peer group children of their own ages and they have a beacon it becomes downright embarrassing for them to have mother come and visit the classroom or dad knows even at the wrong time. So I think perhaps parents become a little sensitive to this they recognize that the children are starting to clam up they're not coming home in the fourth and fifth and sixth grade and a bubbling over soul with the things that are going on in school and they're discouraging their parents. But I think that you're right. Dr. Laughlin that this is a temporary period and they're sort of gaining their own status and feeling of independence. And then

many parents seem to shrug their shoulders and say well I'm not going to school he's not our little get anymore. He's in high school or he's in college and some are there I think some parents think their job with regard to education is over by the time they leave the elementary school. It seems to me that at all levels of education a parent must provide guidance for as child in this day of a parent permissiveness missive notice on the part of in dealing with this child it appears that some parents are afraid to help children arrive at a decision. I think probably when children need it most parents are apt to feel this is none of their business. I'm thinking of the selection of a career certainly that's one of the most important tasks that confronts anyone. Some parents apparently feel that this is so important that the child alone is the one who should select his career. Yet this parent has been living with this

John for for many years. And certainly the parent knows this job better than the counselor in the high school. The parents has had experience he he has a wisdom concerning professions which are available to the child. And after all there are some genetic similarities here between the parent and the child so it seems to me that the parent would be in a better position than ever anyone to help the child in this most important task of selecting a career. I think some of the best adjusted and most successful persons I know all are children who grew up in families where apparently they knew from the time they were able to think and reason what their career was going to be. I'm thinking of a case where a son stepped into his father's office and they formed a partnership in law and also where a son

became a partner in his father's medical profession where a son became a merchant worry son became a manager of a newspaper or an owner of a gun. I think parents have definite responsibilities here. Yeah but Leo but on the other hand many children and abilities may be quite different from those of either parent or different from those of children in the same family. So I don't think we want to mislead anyone on this I think that there are the three times when a child follows in his father's footsteps. But if the interests and abilities aren't there then then I don't think the parent should put pressure on the child to try to follow along. Wouldn't a bad position to take if one were involved in giving guidance to a child with regard to occupations. Let the provide opportunity with a

child or young person. By this time to explore the various. Professional occupations with the child's ability again I refer to my statement about IQ. It is really true that the child does not have a reasonably acceptable military at the abstract level. It would be the worst thing to do I think to encourage new a child to become an MBA or a lawyer or to enter some profession where this type of abstract ability is necessary. Actually there are many other abilities that are perhaps more important the social mobility the understanding of people so that you can provide leadership. When I'm here Dr. Weil when you wouldn't want to go as far as the Orientals used to go at least where they selected the wives and the husbands of the children. Well yeah so I think I would I think that perhaps if parents would participate more in the selection of marriage partners that we might have

better marriages that would last longer than they do these days. We would be careful not to quote you to your own children. Well actually we've been saying a lot of things here about the parents the impact education of the child. And I think what we're the point we've made is that this has BIG been. Very The parents influence is very striking very important very basic and especially during the earlier years of life a lot. Dr. Laughlin makes it very clear that this should not taper off as time goes on. And I'd like to add one thing that I discovered when I was in public school work and and that is the keen interest that parents have been in the small children at least in terms of school. I know that many school principals and teachers can really profit by your

information by working with the kindergarten mothers in particular and the first grade mothers and so forth before the children get older because it is true that as the children grow up as they move on to the upper grades they aren't interested in having a parent come to school if they were in the primary grade. So if they want to have a good working relationship with the parents then it should start. I would say with the kindergarten parents when the children first come to school. It seems to me that we do have to give a little thought to the parent himself and his attitude I wonder if some of the parents are listening to us aren't saying You ma'am are pointing out our wood difficultly because of the hazards of being a parent and I would hate to give the impression that I concur with the philosophy that I've heard expressed by some parents perhaps of a generation ago or

more than recently and somehow or other they're doing a service to their children and providing them with food and housing and an education they somehow are the children all of them something as a result of the continuing Brandel supervision and concern and the provision the parent has made for the child. I could not disagree with any of the more wholeheartedly it seems to me that a parent's attitude toward a child should be one great home or the opportunity of enriching his own line through his children. Because I am convinced. One or more children in the lie. Parents will cause them to have a much happier life and live a full lives and to attain some kind of immortality that they can never attain in any other way.

I just don't agree with the philosophy that children or their parents anything as a result of the many things parents have done for them had carried that little bit further and say that parents have an obligation to to provide opportunities for their children to apply. Not only not only the things that they've learned at home but also the things that they're learning in school. I think we need to remember that we soon forget the things that we don't you use. And therefore I feel it's very important that parents look for opportunities for the child to apply what he has learned in practical situations. Some examples might be practicing speaking correctly in the home the use of the written picks build a child learn in school the music the things that he learned in music in an arc and Science and Health for example. I think it has a real obligation for the pair. Some other activities that naturally would naturally follow a child's work in school. Dr. Leonard would be

say the use of the calendar what day of the week is this in the morning at the breakfast table. Coming time one of the things that we view as very successful I think is the road map when we're going to trip. We always turn the road map over to one of the children and let them track our our journey for the day. And of course when we get lost then it's that child's responsibility to get us back on the road again. Well Dr. Laughlin and Dr. Lerner we conclude I think by saying that no person is more important in the lie the child the parent and then the parent should recognize that he has a responsibility for the child's education in a continuing fashion through giving their child a sense of importance a sound if you will through enriching is home with radio and reading materials and through supporting the schools

and the General Shepperd and ambitions in school and then knowing your child well enough so that he can give them proper type of advice about behind the classroom door produced by WFIU in cooperation with the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. Each week focuses its attention on one of the many challenging aspects of public school education. The program is moderated by Dr. Robert F. top dean of the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. Today's guest were Dr. Lloyd Leonard head of the department of elementary education. And Dr. Leo Laughlin head of the Department of Administration and services. Next week's topic will be metropolis a small city or village. Where is the best place to educate your child. I'm Fred Pyle on this program is distributed by that actual educational radio network.